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@uiten listes getraut .IQ-ffice- EDM'UND W. QUINGY AND WILLIAM FISHER,'on LAcoN, ILLINOIS.

Letters Panama. 76,943, aan Apri; 21, 186s.

IMPRQVBMBNT IN'cPBaATI'NG FERRI-BOATS.

dln 5:11am: tirant tu in their ttttert tant mounting parini :the sume.

To ALL'WHOM I'IMAY coNc'nRN: i l

-Be it known that we, EDMUND W, Quincy andWILLIAM Fr'snnjn, of Lacon,inthe' county of Marshall, and

State of Illinois, have invented a. new and useful Improvement in theMode of Propelling Ferry-Boats; and we do hereby declare thatl thefollowing is a full," clear, and-exact description of the constructionand operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specifica-tion, in which Figure 1 is a plan viewofthe drums,` and Figure 2 is a side elevation.

To enable others'sklled in'the'vrtsto make-and use our invention, wewill proceed to describe its construcl tion and operation. Y v

This invention consists of an arrangement of drumson a ferry orcanal-boat, and on the shores, at. the

ends of the route of such boat, and of a'r'opein connectonwith saiddrums, whereby the boat is propelledwithout the use of paddle-wheels, aswill hereinafter more :fully appear. I I

a a a represent three wooden drums, placed inV suitable supports,longitudinally of the vessel.. The

central drum, a,.is encircled with a wire rope, b, whichpassesfro'mitin.opposite directions, and each part running over oneofthe pulleys a a, extends to'the'shore at each end of theroute, and isthere attached toa p windlass, d. To the central drum, motion iscommunicated in either direction by means of steam or other agent.` Therope b is thus wound up in one direction, and unwonndin the other,andthe boat propelled accordingly. p The weight of the ropes between thedrum fand the win`dla'sses d, insures a firm gripe of said chains uponsaid drum a,and prevents any slipping; The"continually-increasingdistance behindthe vessel, takes' .up the slack ofthe unwoundA rope. Thefunction of the windlasses d is to'make slack. between vthein and thevessel whenever that is desired', in order to let other craft pass overthe rope, and to` take'up the slack when' suc'h cr'ait'hasl passed. In'order to this, the windlassesare provided with a suliiei'et number ofextra coils y of rope. i

It will be perceived that une-position ofthe drums' on the vessel is inadiagonal line, and that lthe drums are provided with vertical flanges,e.

There is only one point Where the par-ts ofthesrope 6 could possiblyabrade each other, and that is at the upper part of the central drum,a', where 'they pass each other. All possibility of such abrasion isremoved by the flanges eof the end drums, which draw the parts of therope awayfrem the vertical ,plane-which c g'ts longitudinally the centredrum. y

' The advantage of our arrangement is. that it dispenses with the use ofpaddle-wheels, and thusnot only econoinizes the power necessary to drivesuch wheels, but `enables boats of light draught to berun in canals,

e andother shoal waters, where paddle-wheels are impracticableorrinjurious."

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, 'anddesire tosecure by Letters Patent,is-

-A ferry or other boat, providedl with flanged ,drums a a a,'arrang'cdwith reference to the prevention of the abrasion of the partsof the draught-rope upon each other, in the manner described,

i v vE. W. QINCY,

. WM. FISHER. Witnesses:

W. H. FORD,

